Muraho – Hello from Rwanda! We are Darrell & Laura Lee Bustin and we serve as global field staff with CBM.
After spending several months in Canada for a home assignment, we are now settled back into life and ministry here in Rwanda. It always takes some time to fully switch gears from one culture and set of responsibilities to another. But we are glad to be back in Kigali, once again working with our colleagues and partners.
Following a two-year hiatus because of COVID-19, SENT teams are starting up again. Laura Lee has been working alongside Andre Sibomana to organize upcoming SENT visits. One couple will be in Rwanda from November to January, and arrangements are being made for visits by two other teams in the summer and fall of 2023. Please pray that everything comes together as it has been a while since we have hosted teams and the world has definitely changed!
We would ask that you remember our partners in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, South Sudan and here in Rwanda. It has not been easy to pick up the pieces now that the pandemic seems to be mostly behind us. Wisdom is needed in facing financial limitations, church members who have stopped attending, and new needs which have arisen.
We also celebrate the new relationships that CBM has established (or re-established) with the Baptists in Liberia and Togo in Western Africa. Our prayer is that these opportunities to work together will lead to deepening partnerships in the future.
In December, CBM will be hosting the Africa Vennture Conference. Each of CBM’s African partners will send four leaders to Rwanda for a three-day conference focused on how our faith and our work intersect. Darrell will be one of the main facilitators during the sessions. The CBM Africa team is pleased that Brenda Halk from the Mississauga office will be joining us for this event. Pray that this will be a wonderful time for building relationships and learning together.
Prayer Points:
Please pray:
- Join us in giving thanks to God for the meaningful time that we had in Canada, spending time with family and connecting with many partner churches and individual supporters during our home assignment.
- Please pray for CBM’s SENT ministry, as short-term teams are once again starting to make plans to serve internationally. And pray for Laura Lee as she works at organizing the logistics for those who will be coming to Rwanda in 2022 and 2023.
- Pray for our African partners: CBCA (Congo), CEBCE (Congo), ACC&S (Kenya), FEBAC (South Sudan), AEBR (Rwanda). They face many challenges these days, including recovery from the pandemic, the high cost of living due to the war in Ukraine, political unrest, etc. At CBM, we ask God to enable us to be good partners, walking with them on this journey.
- Remember to pray for the relationships we have with the Baptists in Liberia and Togo. Only God knows where these relationships will take us, and how many lives may be transformed.
- Pray for the CBM Africa Vennture Conference which will be taking place in Rwanda from December 10-15. Important issues will be discussed and key decisions could be made about future work together. May there be wisdom in the discussions and joy in the conversations!
